MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 31, 2024
What happens to migrating birds in snowstorms? In the days following the storm there are so many blackbirds and sparrows in the state, and many of these are southern migrants that had been returning in the weeks leading up to the storm. They were happy to turn to readily available food at bird feeders. In the same vein of fox sparrows being forced to bird feeders, it is also interesting to see how detections of rare birds also increase following these storms. It is way too early to try to quantify any of the effects of this past storm on wildlife, and it’s a good reminder that readers should always contribute data. Backyard bird observations can go into databases like Cornell’s eBird and sightings of other wildlife can go into iNaturalist. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox